Question.-I have recently lost a friend by death, and notice that your
teaching seems to be that the Lord’s providential care is over the consecrated
ones. Am I to get the thought that God had no providen-tial care over the
interests of my friend?

Answer.-“His tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psa. 145:9.)
Hence, in a certain sense, God’s providential care attaches to every creature.

“The whole creation is his charge,

But saints are his peculiar care.”

When thinking of your friend, consider him as one of the many children of Adam
whom God so loved as to give for them his only begotten Son. The redemption
price has been paid by our Lord, and the time of deliverance draws near. When
it shall have arrived, all the families of the earth will re-ceive a blessing
at the hands of him who loved us and bought us with his precious blood.
Viewing the matter from this standpoint, there is no human crea-ture that is
not a subject of divine providence and care. In speaking of God’s providences
being over only the consecrated, we referred to his special provi-dences
of this Gospel age in respect to the calling and election of the Church, the
body of Christ. Divine providence deals with this class alone in this Gospel
age, favoring them by the call and by the adversities which will polish and fit
them as jewels for the King-dom. For these, all things shall work together for
good, because they love God in an especial sense-better than they love self or
family or houses or lands-yea, better than their own lives.

WHO ARE OUR BRETHREN?

Question.-What should be our attitude toward professing Christians of
the various denominations who give evidence of but slight knowledge of the
truth, and but slight appreciation of the ransom? Should we consider them
brethren in Christ? and should we fellowship them as such? or should we treat
them as heathen men and publicans?

Answer.-All who profess love to the Lord Jesus Christ and have faith
in him as their Savior-even though their knowledge of his redemptive work be
but limited and vague-and whose general conduct is noted as indicating their
desire to walk after the spirit and not after the flesh, should be considered
and treated as brethren. But when we use the word “brother” we are to remember
that amongst believers there are two classes of brethren: (1) Those who have
merely pledged themselves to the Lord for a reformation of life, and who are to
some extent trust-ing in the Savior; and (2) those who have gone on and who
have consecrated their lives even unto death, and have been begotten as new
creatures by the holy spirit. These are brethren of a different order; the
first were typified in the Levites, the last in the priests. Both are our
brethren, and both should be treated courteously, kindly, helpfully; but it
would be im-possible to fellowship the first class in the same man-ner or
degree that we would fellowship the second class. In considering the Church,
only the latter should be counted, because the Church is the body of Christ,
the Royal Priesthood. Only the latter, there-fore, should be expected to
participate in the Memo-rials of the Lord’s death, and the pledge of
consecra-tion to be dead with him. It is to the first of these classes of
brethren (typified by the Levites) that the Apostle addressed the exhortation,
“I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
living sacrifices,” etc. (Rom. 12:1.) Those who follow this exhortation and
make the sacrificial consecration, thereby become brethren on the highest plane
of the spirit, and thus become members of the highest degree of fellowship as
members of the body of the Anointed One.

Knowledge is to be highly esteemed in the Church, and
to be regarded as an evidence of progress, of growth; for none can grow strong
in the Lord and in the power of his might-in grace-unless he grows also in
knowledge. We properly esteem most highly those whose love for the Lord and
for his truth are evidenced by zeal in the study of his Word, and whose favor
with God is evidenced by their being guided more and more into the deep things
of God. Nevertheless, as in the earthly family we love and care for the babes
and immature, so also in the household of faith the little ones and the dwarfs
are to be cared for and loved and helped that they may grow strong in the Lord
and in the power of his might.